What happened
During the climb phase of flight, while operating under an IFR flight plan in visual meteorological conditions, the aircraft suffered a complete loss of engine power. The crew attempted to restart the engine, which briefly ran for approximately one minute before failing again. Subsequent attempts to restore power were unsuccessful.
As the aircraft was positioned over Lake Michigan, the crew determined there was not enough altitude remaining to reach the nearby shoreline safely. Consequently, an emergency water landing was performed. Following the ditching, the United States Coast Guard arrived at the scene and successfully rescued all occupants of the aircraft. There were zero fatalities and zero injuries resulting from the incident.
Findings
An investigation into the mechanical failure determined that the engine assembly suffered a total loss of power due to a component failure. Specifically, the examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft had fractured due to fatigue.